Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Of Farchas, Nan khatais and Bombay

Of Farchas, Nan khatais and Bombay

I have not been an avid blogger even though I have had an account for the
simple reason of lack of time but recently something made me feel it would be
truly sinful not to share that which is as good as what I had
experienced.
Calcutta's offer of culinary varieties can make one feel extremely happy.
Staying in the heart of Calcutta I have never realized how much lady luck had
favoured me until I moved to Mumbai. My second impression of the city was
initially a disastrous one. The plane lands in the midst of dirt and slums. The
ride to Mulund was unimpressive. It was dirty and honestly I was sad. For the first
few months I dared not move out of the house. I had done my research and found
that to go to the market equivalent to New market of Calcutta I would have to
travel some 30km and for someone who has hardly had to travel 2km to reach most
destinations for all her 23 years it seemed impossible at first . I abhorred the
local trains but then staying away from the hub of the city drove me to the
verge of insanity and I finally decided to take matters in my own hand and
explore the city.
I believe a city's heritage is upheld by three things, the architecture , the people and most importantly its culinary
offerings and for anyone who has read a bit about Mumbai or (Bombay as I still
like to call it ) Bombay and Parsi cuisine is inseparable.
So one day I finally gathered the courage to board the local train at around 11
in the morning and was pleasantly surprised to find it quite empty. Here
I must mention that having that streak of culinary enthusiasm , I had already
tried to visit Colaba Causeway within the first week of moving to the city and
had made the massive mistake of buying first class tickets. Needless to say it
didn't quite fit the budget. Being unemployed and paying Rs220 for the train
fare alone seemed impossible but I was tired of having cookies from packets and
terribly prepared food from restaurants near the place where we had rented an apartment. To make matters worse my husband is a
strict vegetarian and being unable to cook delicacies in the kitchen was
another reason for my depression. In Calcutta I wouldn't frequent restaurants because our Kitchen itself would become one.
Of course things are very easy these days with GPS and blogs. I had done my
research, noted down my directions and I was ready to devour the delicacies
which Bombay has to offer.
I had gone out that day to indulge in some Parsi food and my initial
destination was Kyani and Co, the legendary bakery and restaurant. Housed at
Jer Mahal estate right on JSS road the place embodies the history of Bombay.
The moment you enter the place you are transported back to a time when Mumbai
was Bombay and to a time of gentility. The beautiful bentwood chairs and marble
top tables have a charisma of their own.
The prices of the food is a complete delight. For Rs35 the famous Fried
chicken called 'Farcha' is a deal which cannot be missed. When you sink your
teeth in its juicy goodness you are in for a delicious surprise. You see , this
is not your westernized fried chicken. Beautiful spicy flavour bursts out with every bite . While your taste buds are treated to the beautiful blend of what I felt
was garlic, onions and a bit of coriander powder and cumin powder the aroma is
exhilarating. Having ventured out on a hot day I cooled off with some
watermelon juice and then I went on to order some of the famous akuri. I have had eggs
prepared in different styles but never have I tasted something as unique and
delicious as this. It was kheema akuri where the minced meat was of a melt in
the mouth texture. The flavour of ginger garlic paste , onions , tomato and
spices makes it a superb treat with buns as soft as cotton balls to accompany this Parsi scrambled egg preparation.
I finished off with some cherry custard. I have had custards before, made
custards from scratch but I was in for the treat of my life. The custard comes in a small rectangular foil dish and it is wobbly in texture. With the
exact amount of sweetness and the beautiful blend of eggs and milk it was one
that had been baked to perfection. I had my hearty lunch and packed some
baked goodies for home and decided to explore the place. You see the walk from
the erstwhile Victoria Terminus currently known as CST had fascinated me. The
architecture made me want to explore every building.
I was walking around the place admiring the beauty, feeling happy, taking unknown
roads to unknown destinations when I suddenly took a turn and found myself in a narrow lane. I was
searching for Our Lady of Dolor's church and suddenly I found a signboard
with the words 'Paris bakery' written across it. I went to the counter and was
quite confused. There were numerous cookies in different shapes and sizes. The
aromatic scent of bakery wafting through the air can intoxicate just about
anyone.

This is not your new age money making bakery. This is the place of genteelness.
A place where customers are first treated to biscuits before they can decide on
their purchase. I was initially shy but the constant offering from the bakery made me pick up a biscuit and to me this is what a biscuit should be made of. Buttery with a melt in the
mouth texture, it leaves no reside inside your mouth. Its flaky goodness was
wonderful. The prices are wonderfully affordable. I picked up 3 varieties of
biscuits, shortbread biscuits, almond squares and cheese bites. Grandpa Paris
suggested I take the cheese nibbles which he said would be 'more cheesy'. His
insistence on my tasting a greater variety of biscuits won my heart over.

I picked up a loaf of mawa cake and headed home knowing fully well my tea time treats for the next 2 weeks was what I was carrying back . Here
I must mention that drinking tea is an elaborate affair for most Bengali
families. I firmly decided that Paris Bakery would be a must visit for me on a bi monthly basis for their delectable biscuits priced between Rs60 to Rs90 for 200gm
biscuits. Over the course of three months I had discovered their
different flavours and loved all of them be it the Jam nankhatais which are crisp or the Shrewsbury
which are big and round . The real treat
was when I picked up the buns one day. Soft and plump these buns are made of
whole milk and if you are a bread lover such as myself you would be won
over.
They have recently upgraded their menu and I was very sad to see that the
garlic Melba toast is no more produced but instead there is a garlic onion
stick in its place. They have a new cheesy flaky twist with cheddar
powder as informed by the owner which is bad news because you will gain weight
and you will not be able to resist it.
I am in Love with Bombay even though the rents of Mumbai and the dirt and sea
of faces baffle me. To be fair in my recent visits to Calcutta I actually
missed my Bombay and by that I mean the Parsi food.
One cannot have experienced Bombay without a visit to these gems of the city.
When the food is as good as it is in these heritage restaurants one cannot but share one's experience .